In Darkness, Bind Them
by L71
Summary: The rise of Palpatine
1. Default Chapter

Notes: This is a (relatively) short piece exploring the character of Palpatine- his early history, his motives, his rise to power, and introduction into the Sith. It is based on a few paragraphs in my Episode II - however, reading that story will not be necessary - though if you enjoy this piece, feel free to check out my other work here (listed in bio). However, certain things peculiar to my Republic-era GFFA in that story apply here - the existence of a Republic military, for example.  
  
I've found Palpatine to be, as Churchill once said of Stalin, "a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma" and let's face it- it is horribly tempting to see him as simply pure evil - but I'm of the belief that no one is born evil - or good - but with the potential for either. Yet even those who revile him will have to admit that the man was a genius.and such patience and elaborate planning would, IMHO, not be possible without a deep-rooted motivation.  
  
I make no claims to follow the EU of the period, and Palpatine's service in the Navy is entirely speculation on my part. However, the man is clearly a master of strategy, so to me it did not seem entirely implausible.  
  
Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to one George Lucas, who is obviously not the author of this piece. Said author merely enjoys playing around with Mr. L's characters and other various and sundry objects of his creation, and you know it must be out of love, because he is receiving no financial or material gain from the writing of his stories. Darth_Tim however is known to be territorial regarding his original characters, planets, and hardware and would much appreciate that those wishing to use them would declare their intentions. Despite his sithly name he really IS a pretty nice guy, and hey, he might let you.  
  
He also wishes to mention that he adores discussion and feedback of any variety, and if you think he's nuts in doing this and wonder what in the heck he was thinking, he'll want to know that too, being a fellow who loves to argue.  
  
In Darkness, Bind Them: The Story of Palpatine  
  
By Darth_Tim  
  
"True power is not to be found in the command of fleets and armies, nor in government office, but in the ability to look into a man's eyes and see into the deepest recesses of his soul, his secret ambitions, fears, and desires. One who does this owns that man forever."  
  
-Darth Bane II  
  
  
  
"CO on the bridge!"  
  
The bridge crew of the Republic's newly commissioned frigate Audacious, snapped to attention on hearing the Executive Officer's announcement.  
  
The subject of the crew's attentions. Lieutenant Commander Ruk Palpatine, made his way into the ship's nerve center. In stature he was unimpressive, being neither of remarkable height nor build, yet few who met the young human male with the aristocratic bearing and features left unimpressed. It was a presence about him that struck the observer - the eyes, which suggested politeness rather than familiarity, constantly searching, evaluating, missing not even the smallest detail - the piercing intelligence, suggesting real brilliance in the man - and finally, the feeling of meeting one who, beneath the composed exterior, concealed a well of single-minded ambition. It took little to see that he was no ordinary officer.  
  
"At ease," the crisp, educated voice replied. His eyes swept across the bridge and paused briefly at each crewman on station. He had met the ship's officers the day before, and had pored over the personnel files of each several times, and all were highly motivated, competent professionals in their fields. Most of them were rather young, and to Palpatine, showed considerable promise.  
  
The choice had been easy for him. Upon promotion, he was offered either the position of Chief Tactical Officer on a Dreadnaught, or command of his own frigate. While the opportunities in serving on one of the Republic's prize cruisers were considerable, he wanted his own ship.  
  
The Audacious was not the fastest ship in the Fleet, her turbolaser batteries were not the most powerful, her shields and armor not the most formidable, but none of that mattered, because it was his ship, and his crew, and he would make Audacious the best frigate in the Navy. Once he had proven himself as a commander, bigger and better commands would be sure to follow. Of both, he was certain. Frigates were the scouts of the Fleet, and their commanding officers were not only encouraged, but expected, to perform with a degree of independence and initiative, rather than being locked within a rigid battle line.  
  
First Lieutenant Adran Sola, the Corellian XO, approached Palpatine and saluted. "All crew present and accounted for. All systems online and functioning within operating parameters. Command of this vessel is now turned over to the Commanding Officer."  
  
"CO now has the ship," Palpatine replied, in the formal tradition. While awaiting Palpatine's arrival, the Audacious was under temporary command of the Executive Officer, whose duty was to ensure the ship was ready to get underway once her captain arrived. He returned Lieutenant Sola's salute and stepped to the CO's station at the center of the bridge. As he prepared to give his first order while in command of a vessel, he was careful not to allow the rare twinge of excitement he felt make its presence shown. A commanding officer was to maintain his composure at all times.  
  
"Communications Officer, obtain clearance for departure. Chief Engineer, Navigation, and Helm stand by."  
  
A chorus of "Yes, Sir"'s sounded in reply.  
  
Again, he struggled to suppress his excitement. In a few moments, a new journey, the latest of many in the life of Ruk Palpatine, was about to begin. 


	2. Chapter 2

Nikolai Palpatine would not have found his only child's career choice either surprising or disappointing.   
  
The respected Colonel and wing commander in the Royal Naboo Fighter Corps and his wife, Kira, had long believed that she was unable to have children, so it had been indeed to the surprise and delight of both when she informed her husband that she was pregnant.   
  
Perhaps it was from the father that his quiet, unflagging ambition derived. Nikolai had no impressive family connections or wealth, being descended from modest artisans from Theed, yet through perserverence and commitment to becoming a superb pilot, he eventually rose to command of the King's personal fighter escort, the most prestigious post a Naboo flier could attain. Following that, he was given command of a fighter wing, which represented fully one-eighth of the small Naboo military's fighter strength.   
  
His son proved to be blessed indeed. He was – to say the least – a precocious young boy. He learned to read at a very early age, and did so voraciously throughout his earlier years. However, it was not the subjects which other young boys were interested in – tales of the famous Jedi Knights, or serial adventures about fictional smugglers and starpilots, but rather history, philosophy, and biographies of great warriors, savants, and statesmen which captivated the boy's interest. It was these great men of history whom Ruk Palpatine came to admire almost to a point of obsession. He hoped to follow in their footsteps some day.   
  
He was regarded as something of a loner by his peers, one who had a great many acquaintances, but few true friends. Instead, he preferred to be a detached observer of his schoolmates, one who found the intricacies and quirks of sentient behavior both amusing and educational. His intellect and aloof behavior sometimes singled him out as a target for bullies, but he learned quickly how to handle his adversaries, how to outwit and manipulate them. Many times he felt as though he could guess, with remarkable accuracy, the true motives and intentions of others, although he paid such abilities little mind, except to slowly learn to develop his unusual intuition, to control it and better use it to his advantage.   
  
In his adolescent years he retained this detachment, not caring for the company of his peers and instead that of his own thoughts, and his studies, which he found genuinely interesting.   
  
He graduated from secondary school at the top of his class. When his father had asked him about plans for the future, the son replied he would follow in the footsteps of his father and become an officer. However, Palpatine found little future in the small and little-used armed forces of a isolationist and pacifist planet, instead seeing a route for fulfilling his ambition to become a great figure within the Republic's navy. His parents were pleased, for they knew of Ruk's potential and that it was, in fact, entirely capable of fulfilling the young man's ambitions. So, then, when he applied for entrance into the Fleet Academy with one of the highest scores on the Entrance Exam in history, it was little surprise that he was accepted.   
  
Once at the Academy, his abilities continued to serve him well during the grueling four years of the course. While not particularly saavy in the more technical subjects, his almost intuitive grasp of command, tactics, and strategy, as well as naval history, was seen as remarkable by his instructors and fellow cadets alike. Again, he graduated first in his class with a record score on his final examinations.   
  
His standing in the Academy offered him a wide choice of the best assignments where rapid promotion was to be expected. As an Ensign he served as an Assistant Tactical Officer on board the Dreadnaught Furious, and his ability to predict the tactics of the opposing force during excercises with uncanny accuracy saw a promotion to Lieutenant, to Tactical Officer, then to First Lieutenant, and finally to Lieutenant Commander, where he was offered either a ship of his own, or the post of Chief Tactical Officer on Furious.   
  
By all accounts, he was regarded as one of the Fleet's most promising young prospects.   
  
Oddly enough, no one, not even Ruk Palpatine himself, suspected his peculiar abilities were the result of a surprisingly formidable ability in the Force. 


End file.
